Switch mechanism



H. F KRA-NTZ. SWITCH MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, l9l9.

Reissued J lily 12, 1921.

INVENTOR fluberff hranfz WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY H. F. KRANTZ.

SWITCH MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30. 1919. Rclssued July 12, 1921. 15,152,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I F 'l/IIIIIIIIIII 'IIIIIII) Y'II/ INVENTOR BY LIATTORNEY' WITNESSES;

on line 7-7, Fig. 8.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUBER! I. KRANTZ, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ABSIGNOR 'IO KRANTZ MANUFAC-TURING COMPANY, INC., 01' BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SWITCH MECHANISM.

Specification oi lieissued Letters Patent. Risgued July 12, 1921.

Original in. 1,25 ,332, dated February 12, ms, Serial No. 836,423,1iledm a, 1914. Application in reissue filed April 30, 1919. Serial No.298,857.

To all whomit may concem Be it known that I, Honnn'r F. KRANTZ, acitizen of the United States, residin at Brooklyn, count of Kings, cityand tate of New York, ave invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Switch Mechanism, of which the following is a clear, full, andexactdescription.

This invention relates to an improved electric switch mechanism for usewith either a push button, lever throw 'or pull switch, particularly ofthe quick-make and quick-break type.

' It is the object of the invention to make a switch of this characterin which the user upon breaking contact and up to-the time of actualbreak will necessarily increase the pressure on the contacting parts,and in which the contact, when once made, will be maintained byresilient pressure on the part of the operatin means. I prefer to useaswitch blade w ich is inherently resilient itself in accomplishing thepurpose set forth.

A more detailed ob ect of the invention is to provide a quick-breakmechanism made up of spring parts movable throu h a dead center positionto reverse the e ect of said spring parts from a force tending to f onposition to a force tending to ofi position, and to provide a contactmember of sucha nature, and so connected as to serve in part toefiectually prevent the spring parts from standing in the dead centerposition.

The scope of my invention will be set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawin s:

Figure 1 is a side elevation o a pull form of my improved switch.

Fig. 2 1s a section on line 2-2 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line 44 of 1g.4. Fig. 4 is a plan of Fig. 1. A F i 5 is a sectional view of a pushbutton switc on line 5-5 Fig. 6.

Fig. dis a section on line (5-6 Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a section of a leverthrow switch,

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8 Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig.5 of a modified type of push button switch.

In the drawings: Figs. 1 to 4, I have illustrated my invention asapplied to a pull switch.

The base plate 1 has a terminal device consisting of four flatcontactplates 2, 3, 4 and which may be reciprocated from the position shown infull lines, Fig. 3 to that shown in dotted lines. Contact blades 8 and 9carried by a reciprocatory carrier 10, and of the inherently resilientor brush type are adapted to contact with the terminal plates.

The carrier 10 surrounds and is guided upon the casing 6, and consistsof side plates 11 and 12 secured by end rods 13.

The 0 crating rod 7 is recessed at 14 and provide with a shaft. 14 onwhich is mounted two rods 15 and 16, their ends passlng freely through 0enings in blocks 17 and 18 ivotallymounte in the carrier 10.

prings 19 and 20 abut against collars 21 on the rods 15 and 16 and theother end of each spring rests against the blocks 17 or 18.

The devlce, when in the position of Fi 1 to 4, in contact, due to thesprings 19 an 20,

carries the contact blade or blades to bear with pressure of the springsupon the terminal blocks. A

When it is desired to break contact the springs are even more greatlycompressed until they reach a dead center, when the slightest additionalmovement causes them to lift the contact blades and break the circuit. Ifind in practice that such dead center is only theoretical and that itis impos sible to cause the switch blade to stop in such position.

This immediately destroys the dead center position and renders thesprings 19 effective to send the carrier forthwith into the ofl?osition. The ressure of the springs 19 or urging the b ocks 17 and.18downwardly is somewhat increased when the pivot pin 14 begins itsdownward movement, and as the downward movement progresses thecompression of the springs dead center position-this force is sud-'denly released to cause the pivot centers of the blocks to bound above te plane of the pivot pin. This immediately destroys the dead centerposition and renders the springs19 effective to send the carrierforthwith into the ofi' position. This i a v mp a tadvantage of thecombination 1n that it insures a full, completeand positive I operationof the device with every downward movement of the operating rod.

Moreover, it enablesthe employment of a flat surface contact betweenthe. switch blades and the contact terminals. In this latter connectionitshould be noted that where a flat surface contact is employed and adead center position of the springs is possible, then if at any timesuch a dead center position'be assumed, as by not press ing down the rodsufficiently far,"tl1en the pressure of the springs'to move the movablecontact into engagement with the flat surfaces of the stationarycontacts would be rendered 'nz'l and one or the other of the ends of themovable contact would probably move upwardly a slight distance away fromits stationary contact. An arc would immediately ensue and the deviceprobably be destroyed, perhaps causing much damage. I

The switch of Figs. 5 and 6 is of the push button type. The terminals,blades, carrier, operatingspringsand their rods and blocks are as shownin the figures before described with relation to the pull type ofswitch, but

i f the central reciprocating operating rod is replaced by a stationarypost on which two connected collars 31 and 32 are slidable. The collar31 is secured to the rods 34 of the operating mechanism and the collar32 to a link 35 secured to a push button 36. 'A rocker arm 37 pivoted at38 to the post 30 is attached to the push button 38 so that the cdllarsmay bypush button action be caused to move the rods 34 into and pastdead center, as in the pull type heretofore described. A lever type ofswitch is shown in Figs. 7 and 8." I

To the base40 a standing terminals 41 and 42 are secure inherentlyresilient switch blades 43 carried on insulating blocks 44and of ageneral L shap e are adapted to make contact as shown in ig. 7.

The insulating blocks 44 are secured to a sliding carriage 45 sliding onguides 46.

APIVOtBd block 47 on the carriage 45 has a ro d 48 passing through thecenter. The

' rod carries a spring 49 and is secured to one end of a lever 50 theswitch.

In the position of Fig. 7 the spring 49 continuallypresses thecontactblade against itsterminals. Upon swinging the switch lever over toposition indicated by dotted lines as soon as .the rod passes aerpendicular position (dead center) the b ade will be shot tothe leftand contact immediatel broken. y

The switch shown in Fig. 9 varies but pivoted at 51 to the face of,tions.

slightly from that of Figs. 1 to 4, the difference being in that thepush and pull rod 60 .can be operated by an auxiliary push button 61instead of pulled out to make contact. a

For this purpose a connecting rocker arm' 62 is provided with slottedends engaging pins 63 and 64 on the push. button rods 60 and, 61.

In carrying out this invention, details of construction may be variedfrom those shown, and yet the essence of the invention be retained; someparts might be employed without others, and new features thereof mightbe combined with elements old in the art in diverse ways, although theherein described type 1s regarded as embodying substantial mprovementsover such modifica- As many changes couldbe made in the aboveconstruction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of theinven-- tion could be made without departing from the scope thereof, itis intended that all matter contained in the above descriptionor shownin the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted in an illustrative andnot in a limitin sense. h

It is Furthermore desired to be understood that the language used in thefollowing claims is intended to cover all the generic, and specificfeatures of the invention herein--described, and all statements of thescope of the invention which as a matterof language mlght be said tofall therebetween.

1 claim as my invention:

1. In a switch mechanism, comprising a quick-break means for moving theswitch blade away from a' contact member, said quick-break meansincluding a spring exerting a tendency to urge the switch blade againstthe contact, and said spring being movable through a dead-centerposition for reversing its effectiveness upon the switch blade tothereby break the switch blade awa from the contact, the combinationtherewit of a flexible switch blade which is connected between thespring and the contact to receive pressure from the spring, andanoperating 'member operable upon the spring to increase the pressure ofthe spring against the switch blade and thereby to flex the switch bladebetween the spring and the contact, said operating member being alsoadapted to move the spring through its deadcenter position to relievethe pressure of,

the sprm upon the switch blade and there-" bv to ena Ie the stored enerblade to cause the switch bfa de to move in a directionaway from thecontact and'thus to act as an auxiliary to the breaking action of thespring.

2. In a switch mechanismm flexible switch blade movable toward and awayfrom a "relatively stationary contact member,-a quickin the swit'fliard, a member slidable upon said standard, a

break means for moving the switch blade away from the contact member,said quickbreak .means including a double spring tog- 1e exerting atendency to urge the switch lade against the contact, said toggle beingmovable through a dead-center position for reversing its effectiveness un the switch blade to thereby break the switch blade away from thecontact, a floating carrier upon which the switch blade is carried, saidcaran opening therethrough withsure of the springs thereof upon thecarrier and thereby to flex the switch blade against the contact bypressure from the carrier, said operating member being also adapted tomove the toggle through its dead-center position to relievethe presureof the springs of the toggle upon the switch blade and thereby to enablethe stored energ in the switch blade to cause the switch lade to moveina direction away from the contact and thus to act as an auxiliary tothe breaking action of the tog le..

3. In a switch mec anism, comprising a floating carrier, a contactmember supported by the carrier to move therewith, a standa pair ofspring devices connected between said member and said carrier com risinadouble spring toggle of which sai mem er is the knee oint, the doublespring toggle movable by said member through the d -center position forexerting ressure to urge the carrier suddenly into on or 01f positions,an operating lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends,-linkconnections between said lever and said member to slide said member foroperating said toggle in response to the swin 'ng movements of saidlever, and means w ereby said leyielar may be swung in either directionat W1 4. In switch mechanism, the combination with a switch-bladecarrier and a ,yieldable toggle means for yieldingly retaining thecarrier in open and closed positions, of a flexible switch membermounted .on the carrier and adapted to be flexed by the carrier when thelatter is in closed position.

5. In a switch mechanism, the combination with a'switch-blade carrierand a yieldable toggle means for yieldingly retainin the carrier inclosed ition and for with rawing the carrier w1th a snap-action when thele is moved a predetermined distance, of

g a flexible switch member mounted upon the HUBERT F. KRANTZ.

